The New York Times: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday that the city plans to create a coronavirus vaccination site on Broadway that will be reserved for theater industry workers, promising to dedicate city resources to help Broadway theaters reopen for live performances in the fall.
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I think that it is wonderful that Mayor de Blasio is providing some sort of focus on theater workers, especially after the terrible year that they have had. However, if you read the article it says that this will not change the current 50+ age requirement in New York for vaccines, so I wonder how many theater workers it will currently reach right now, especially if those who qualify have probably been vaccinated elsewhere. I hope that New York will expand to other groups which will allow theater workers of all ages to be able to get vaccinated. This is an important step to reopening theaters, and while it won't be a short process it shows there is a light at the end of the tunnel after a long year of having no theater. I am so excited for when theater can happen again as I remember it and I think it is a long long time away from where we are not. But I think we are closer than we've ever been to getting back to that point and I simply cannot wait.
I am really glad that this opportunity is being provided. At the same time, vaccine eligibility and prioritization is very much so a major ethics issue. I fortunately have been able to be vaccinated in Upstate NY, but even still appointments are a mess. Earlier in the process, older adults were struggling to use a hotline that was often closed and were being told to make appointments online when not everyone is fortunate enough to have access or have a relative who can do it for them. Prioritizing some jobs over others and saying who is essential and who is not can have a horrible impact on mental health. While I am glad that this could be an opportunity to revitalize the theater community, it is sad to see how often the decisions in the pandemic have come down to economic choices beyond value of life. At least in this case, it is valuing and protecting the lives of the artists impacted. I do hope others can get appointments as well at the other locations. I do know that Javits has been distributing the vaccine at all hours to do the best NYC can to get the vaccine to as many people as possible.
I think this is great news. The theater industry has been an emblematic part of New York City for so long that it would feel wrong if there wasn’t a specific vaccination effort put in place to try to get the ball rolling again. As a side note, I can only imagine what was going on in that room where authorities were excited to announce theaters could reopen at thirty-three capacity rate, only for literally anyone to sit them down and kindly explain that’s not how commercial theater works; just a funny visual if you ask me. I don’t know how long it is going to take to start chipping away at the damage – it feels like the pandemic is the evergreen in the Suez Canal and this vaccination effort is the small excavator tasked with the job of fixing the problem. If you ask me, however, a tiny excavator is a thousand times better than no excavator at all.
This is honestly great news! Vaccines being distributed in any way is great news but it is definitely a huge ethical way in what way it will be distributed. From what I read in the article, people who are currently over the age of 50 are the only ones still eligible for the vaccine. I wonder though what this says about the process of vaccine distribution in the state of new york. Giving the vaccine to health professionals due to their job made sense as these people were working closely with people who had the virus and it was their job to distribute even more vaccines and stop people from dying. I think after that, distributing vaccines based off of occupation is essentially saying that one job matters more than another. I am happy that the job to get it first are artists as that tells me that these choices are not being made due to economic value but I still don't believe an occupation makes one's life worth more than another. Distribution is a tricky thing to manage though, so however states' choose to do it works as long as all people get vaccinated soon.
This headline is really exciting! Especially as vaccinations across the country are ramping up, I am really happy to see New York City putting emphasis on theater worker’s ability to get vaccines, especially after this year has had a pretty huge impact on the entertainment industry. Like Ariel said, vaccine eligibility is a big thing that every state is dealing with: how do they prioritize people’s health? And, making sure those who become eligible are actually able to schedule an appointment with ease? I think this was expected, but the whole process for the country and world is a lot. Again, I am super excited for New York City’s theater workers; and I’m glad they are making sure it is not just Broadway getting the support, but also off-Broadway and other theaters in the city. This vaccination process will be on-going for a few months but continually bringing us towards an end to this pandemic. I look forward to seeing positive results and progress across the country and globe.
After so long without Broadway and theatre in general, it's exciting to see progress that finally feels tangible. Watching the majority of people in our circles go through much difficulty and stress as the entertainment industry has fought to adapt and come back has been tough. It's comforting to know that the NY government is taking some time to support theatre workers in particular who make up such a well known section of New York's culture. Given how rampant Covid still is in New York and New Jersey it is also good to hear that in general, this will allow more people in that area to get vaccinated especially since they are the ones who will be in close proximity to others during the builds and rehearsals to come. I'm curious to see how this come back goes given the small nature of their start. If we won't be seeing full scale shows until full audience capacity is allowed again, how far after Labor Day are they thinking we can expect a semi-full return?
Wow I feel like things are finally starting to happen. After such a difficult year for the industry, I think they really needed support such as this Broadway vaccination site to help get back on their feet. I know some people have brought up how the city’s plans about who is allowed to get the vaccine right now is a little concerning because it’s only offered to people over 50 and those with underlying health conditions, but by the time everything is up and running I’d imagine it would be opened up to more people. Being in Pennsylvania where we are still in category 1A, I was shocked to hear that in California vaccines will be open to everyone as soon as April 15th. So I genuinely do think it’s not that big of a concern. Also it might help to make appointments easier to get for people since everyone won’t be trying at the same time.
This is wonderful to hear. It’s great that de Blasio recognizes the importance of the theater industry, and how much tourism revenue it’s able to bring in. When the pandemic first hit, and we were fighting for extending unemployment insurance, I heard a lot of people say we were the first to close, and we will be the last to open. I think it’s definitely true that theater will be the last industry that can return to 100% how it was before the pandemic. However, if more attention is paid to the theater industry and administrations acknowledge both our importance and also how incredibly challenging it is to create theater in a “socially-distanced, covid-safe” manner, then hopefully that can get us bumped up the line a little bit. Obviously we shouldn’t be taking shots away from medical workers or anyone with health conditions, but maybe we get it before wall street, or at least before a bunch of CEOs do.
Though entertainment and theater is not an essential thing in our lives, I am so happy to hear that such actions are taken towards the broadway community, and not just for actors but all industry workers. This (hopefully) includes designers, managers, and even crew and stagehands and the custodians that work in the theaters. I think that we have come to a place with vaccinations where we have covered the majority of people who seriously need a vaccination like the sick and elderly. It's very comforting to see that Mr. de Blasio recognizes how hard of a hit the pandemic has taken on live entertainment and this is a great step in bringing broadway back into business. In addition, I think that though entertainment is not essential, it is something that we as humans enjoy in coming together to celebrate and have fun as a community. After the year long shut down, this is exactly the light and hope we need.
This is an amazing news article that is bound to fill us all with a little bit more hope for the upcoming months. De blasios announcement of a vaccine site at the heart of the theatre industry is more symbolic and emblematic that it is practical. The people who make Broadway happen could have been vaccinated at any of the 7+ mass vaccination sites around New York City, but by placing them there, De Blasio is reaffirming New York’s commitment to the hurting industry of Broadway and really shows how much the theatre industry means to New York. The article deals with the very difficult issue of vaccine distribution and eligibility as we continue vaccinating our population, I think prioritizing Theater industry workers is a smart choice because of the amount of turmoil it has had to face over the past year.
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